State Sen. Colin Bonini discusses the need to reform state’s civil forfeiture laws in this week’s GOP message.
Bonini says currently the First State allows law enforcement to take property from citizens based on suspicion of a crime. The police can sell that property to fund their operations. No conviction is required for civil forfeiture.
He says that’s why a recent report from the Institute for Justice gave Delaware a D-minus and called the state’s civil forfeiture laws “some of the worst in the country.”
It’s an issue Bonini believes it is time to address.
“I will be introducing legislation to change all of that, helping to balance the interests of law enforcement--still supporting law enforcement--but also protecting the freedoms of our citizens," he said. "We can have safe streets and civil rights in Delaware and we’ll be better of in the end if we do it.”
Bonini is one of two Republicans running for the governor this year - facing former state trooper Lacey Lafferty in a September primary.
Hi. I'm State Senator Colin Bonini.
Public safety is one of the foundational responsibilities of government, and I am proud to support the men and women who ensure the safety of all Delawareans. That said, we need to balance public safety with basic civil rights and freedoms.
Unfortunately, we have laws in Delaware that allow law enforcement to take property from Delawareans without so much as an arrest. Simply suspicion of a crime. And the police can then sell that property and use it to fund their operations.
The Institute for Justice gave Delaware a "D-" in their "Policing for Profit" report, adding that "Delaware has some of the worst civil forfeiture laws in the country." We currently do not require a conviction for civil forfeiture. Nearly 100% of the proceeds go to fund law enforcement. And worst of all, law enforcement does not publicly account for its forfeiture activity.
I will be introducing legislation to change all of that, helping to balance the interests of law enforcement and our citizens. We can have both safe streets and civil rights, and Delaware will be better off in the end.
I invite you to contact me with any questions or comments you have on this important issue. Thank you.
